Salvation Army bell ringer John Willoughby greets a shopper donating to the Red Kettle Campaign at Walmart in Franklin Dec. 15.
Andy Bell-Baltaci | Daily Journal
A familiar ring fills the air as shoppers shuffle through the automatic doors.
It’s the Salvation Army’s Red Kettle Campaign, and each year, bell ringers wearing red aprons draw attention to red buckets, where passersby throw a dollar or five or 20. The holiday campaign is responsible for the lion’s share of money that funds the Salvation Army and its projects throughout the year, said Vinal Lee, director of the Salvation Army of Johnson County.
The Salvation Army has been participating in the annual Red Kettle Campaign for more than a century, and it’s been in Johnson County for about 30 years, Lee said.
“We help residents with rent and utility assistance. We run our food pantry and a program with the United Way called ‘No Place to Call Home.’”
The biggest thing we do is provide case management for residents of Johnson County needing extra support throughout the year,” he said. “Case management is like a coach and our case manager works with individuals and families to help navigate through their goals established for themselves with the aim to help improve their financial condition or housing condition.”
The county’s goal for the campaign is $110,000, something within reach as almost $105,500 had been collected as of Monday. The campaign started Nov. 8 and wraps up on Thursday, Lee said.
About 85% of our funding comes directly from the Red Kettle Campaign. Other funding comes from the United Way and individual donors, he said.
The Salvation Army works closely with Kroger and Walmart locations to place bell ringers. Some of the bell ringers are volunteers, while others are placed on a paid basis with help from temp agencies.
Shawn Jarman, standing outside the Franklin Kroger on a crisp December day, isn’t typically a person whose first choice is to go out and interact with people for hours on end, he said.
“I’m doing this for extra money because of the holidays. It’s my first day out here, but everyone’s been real friendly and generous,” Jarman said. “I’m heavily introverted and wasn’t sure about coming out, but everyone’s been pretty good so far.”
While Jarman was outside Kroger, John Willoughby was a couple of miles up the road at the Franklin Walmart. Willougby, sporting a white beard, said people told him he resembled Santa.
“I like getting out here and talking to people. I talk to everybody — the girls, the guys, the kids are really fun to talk to. They think I’m Santa Claus. The women say, ‘do you know you look like Santa Claus?’” Willoughby said.
Interaction is key in soliciting donations, and everyone has a different strategy to get attention, he said.
“They’ve got guys that dance, whatever works for you. I’m not much of a dancer. I’m 69 years old,” Willoughby said. “I talk to everyone coming in and going out. I talk to the kids. I do pretty good, I think. My bucket ain’t empty.”
At the other Walmart entrance, Lewis Dunn rings his bell.
Dunn needed something to do as the holiday season approached, and volunteering for the Red Kettle Campaign helped fill that void, he said.
“Sometimes you get kind of depressed if you have nothing to do. If I can ring the bell and help others, I can finally enjoy the holidays. It brings out holiday joy. You spread the joy of Christmas cheer and holiday cheer, and some of them express that with giving,” Dunn said. “Even though you may be at the top, situations might bring you to the point where you need the Salvation Army or the Wheeler Mission. We as a people can never know what tomorrow may bring.”
